Tuesday, July 21, 2009

As expected, the secret grand jury convened Monday and is expected to last two weeks.The grand jury will hear the evidence in the kidnapping, rape and murder of young Sandra Cantu.

Huckaby’s preliminary hearing in open court was scheduled for September.The grand jury hearing takes the place of the preliminary hearing and shields the alleged motive and cause of Sandra’s death from the public.

It is the grand jury that will ultimately decide if there is sufficient evidence for Huckaby to stand trial on the charges.

Prosecutors may have chosen the secret grand jury route in order to quell the public interest in the case in an effort to avoid having the trial moved out of San Joaquin County.

It recently became known that authorities used wiretaps during their investigation.

8 year-old Sandra Cantu disappeared on March 27 from the mobile park home in Tracy where she lived. Her body was found about ten days later in a suitcase floating in an irrigation ditch.

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comments:

It's a grand jury. Virtually every grand jury proceeding I've ever known is not open to the public. Instead of a judge hearing evidence and making a ruling (preliminary), a body of individuals (citizens) is chosen to hear the evidence and then vote on it.

Most states have grand juries. It's a different avenue than a preliminary hearing, but both can result in charges being brought against an individual.

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